Resilient heel-tread



H. W. ROGERS.

RESILIENT HEEL TREAD.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 26, I920.

1,364,588, Patented Jan. 4, 1921.

FIBJE.

WITNESSES #QMWW M UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY WOODWARD ROGERS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO THE ROGERS RUBBER COMPANY, OF WESTMINSTER, MARYLAND, A CORPORATION OF.

MARYLAND.

RESILIENT HEEL-TREAD.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented J an, 4, 1921 Application filed February 26, 1920. Serial No. 361,598.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY WOODWARD Rooms, residing at New York city, in the county of New York and State of New York, a citizen of the United States, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Resilient Heel-Treads, of which improvements the following is a specification.

It is the object of the invention to produce a resilient tread to be applied to the heel of a shoe, which will possess in a marked degree the desirable qualities of resiliency, durability, evenness of wear, and afford security to the wearer against slippin In the accompanying drawings, igure I is a sectional view of the preferred embodiment of the invention applied to the heel of a shoe. The tread is set in a recess cut for it in the heel. Fig. II is a bottom plan view of Fig. I. Fig. III is a view in side elevation of the resilient tread applied to the smooth bottom surface of a heel. Fig. IV. illustrates in section the various parts of which the tread is composed.

The resilient tread is composed essentially of two members, an outer and an inner, formed of rubber or other suitable resilient material, nesting one within the other, and both secured by a single screw or equivalent means, such as to permit of turning and limited lateral movement, to effect the ends to be described.

The outer member 1 is an annulus, flat on one side to bear firmly upon a heel surface, in the position shownin Fi s. I and III, thickened peripherally to orm the bearing ridge 2 (of Fig. I and thinner along its inner rim to form a flange or shelf 3; he opening which this annulus encircles is. indicated at 5., The edges of the bearing ridge are beveled or rounded.

The inner member 4: is also annular, with a central orifice of suflicient size to .allow the passage of the shank of a screw or like securing means, and, retained by the head of the screw,. to constitute the retaining means for the outer member. Accordingly, the inner member 4 is stepped on its inner face, to bear centrally upon the heelsurface (with an interposed bearing platebetween,

as shown in the drawings.) and peripherallyf upon the flange or shelf 3 of the outer memher, it too is thickened peripherally to form are assembled, the bearing surfaces of outer member and inner member are flush one with the other, and the outer diameter of the inner member is slightly less than the inner diameter of the outer member, so that when the parts are assembled a certain amount of a lateral play is permissible. These features are illustrated in Fig. I; the spaces which permit lateral playare indicated at a and b.

A lining 12 of sheet metal may be applied between inner and outer members, lying between their horizontal surfaces of contact, and between the inner member and the heel. This lining plate 12 will of course be perforate centrally, as at 15, to permit the passage of screw 11 or equivalent securing means. This lining plate 12 is not, however, essential, and need not .be employed. A metal plate 16 with central perforation 17 is preferably applied to the face of the inner member, to serve as a washer beneath the head of screw 11 or its equivalent. When assembled this washer and the head of the screw are sunk and bear upon the medial web 6 of the inner member, and onl the ridges 2 and 8 make contact with the ground. This clearly appears in Fig. I.

In case the heel tread is set in a recess cut in a heel, as illustrated inFigs. I and II, the recess will preferably be slightly larger than the tread, leaving a narrow space 0 between.

The tread is assembled as shown in Fig. I, the screw 11 passing through washer 16,

' inner member 4, plate 12 (if present), outer amount of play and relative movement, part topart, which adapts it peculiarly to its intended service. First of all, the substance is elastic, and by virtue of its elasticity it affords those advantages of wear, comfort, silence, and security possessed by rubber heels generally.- Second the configuration of bearing surface is in the form of concentric annular ridges with beveled edges; these ridges, by virtue of their configuration, stand at some portion of their extent broadside to any slipping strain, from whatever quarter exerted; further, by virtue of the beveling or rounding of the edges, pressure is centralized in the ridges, and concentration of pressure along certain lines with spaces between Where no pressure is exerted, makes for security. The rounding of the edges of the ridges makes for durability too. T he looseness of the outer member in its engagement by the inner, and the looseness of the inner member respecting both the outer member which surrounds it andthe screw which it surrounds permit of rotation of the tread upon the heel and of the tread members one to another, to equalize wear, and such looseness further permits of lateral play and tipping, so that the structure shapes itself under pressure to more intimate contact with the ground; furthermore,

the outwardly flarin'g spaces between the parts, which in service keep widening and contracting, automatically keep themselves free of mud and snow which on occasion might otherwise pack within them.

It will be understood that the circular shape is necessary only in so far as rotation is desired, and such departures from truly circular shape, either in the contour of the structure as a whole or in the parts in their relations one to another, aswill still admit of the relative movements dwelt upon, are

within the field of my invention. The outer contour of the tread as shown in Fig. III may, for example, be widely modified. The contour of the bearing ridges admits of variation. The tread designed primarily for the heel of a shoe may with manifest advantage be applied to the sole of ,a shoe at any desired point.

In the ensuing claims I define the essential features of invention; beyond this, the showing of the specification is exemplary, and may be modified at the will of the user.

I claim as my invention:

1. A resilient tread for a shoe consisting of a lurality of concentric independently rotata le bearing ridges spaced apart, one from another, substantially as described.

2. A resilient tread for a shoe consisting of a plurality of concentric independently rotatable bearing ridges movable laterally, one respecting another, substantially as described.

3. A resilient tread for a shoe consisting of a plurality of concentric independently rotatable bearing ridges movable laterally respecting one another and respecting the shoe to which the tread is applied; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand. 

